Blog by Irina Voronina

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I am sure you guys remember how a series of recent viral articles compared men’s beards to toilets, in terms of germs.

Whether it’s a true fact or not, it inspired me to write this blog post and share a few useful tips I learned over the course of my modeling career. I am not a germophobic person in any way, but I understand how a few simple habits can make a big difference in the way you look and feel. It’s not easy to stay pimple free and camera ready at all times. These tips work for me and have helped prevent unwanted breakouts.

Our face happens to be the most exposed part of the body. It takes in dust, absorbs air impurities and serves as a landing pad for germs and bacteria. If you don’t believe me just run a cotton pad with some toner on your skin at the end of the day, and you may be surprised with what you see.

1. KEEP YOU HANDS OUT OF YOUR FACE

We wash our hands many times during the day. Unfortunately we can’t do the same to our face as frequently, especially with make up on. Most of us touch our face a lot without even realizing it, and that’s when the germs from our hands end up there and cause breakouts. You may say: “But I washed my hands after touching my dog”. Yes, but on the way to the bathroom you scratched your nose. Even if you wash your hands a lot, try keeping them away from the face throughout the day.

2. GET YOUR MAN TO WASH HIS FACE

A lot of guys are true “Big Lebowski” dudes, and even if they take a shower every day , it does not mean they wash their face before going to bed or kissing you. In other words all the oils and bacteria your partner accumulated throughout the day can end up on your face! Combined with little scruff that can give you a minor irritation it’s a great recipe for growing zits. Get your man a nice foaming cleanser and a sponge, and explain to him the importance of cleaning his face before going to bed with you. You can thank me later.

3. CLEAN YOUR MAKE UP BRUSHES FREQUENTLY

Dermatologist recommend sanitizing your make up brushes after each use, which is a bit excessive in my opinion, who’s got time for that? I try to shampoo my brushes every week or so, and use antibacterial spray in between uses. You can wash your brushes with anything from baby shampoo to Dr Bronners Pure Castille Soap. There are also a lot of antibacterial cleansing sprays on the market. I use one by Mineral Fusion Cosmetics, $12 online.

4. DISCARD OLD MAKE UP

Most make up can be kept for up to 2 years. The general rule is 6 months for liquids and 2 years for powders and pencils. A dark wet environment of make up tubes is the perfect place for bacteria growth. I throw out my foundations after 6 months. Lip glosses and lipsticks are usually ok for a year. Pencils can go two years or longer since the sharpener removes the old surface. However don’t forget to frequently sanitize your sharpener with rubbing alcohol .

Mascara (as well as liquid eye liners) has the shortest life span of all make up because the risk of transferring bacteria back and forth from your eye into the mascara tube is so great.

When you are about to use new cosmetic product for the first time, I recommend writing the date on it with a black sharpie. That way you will know how long you’ve had the make up, and when it’s time to throw it away.

5. SANITIZE YOUR KEY BOARD, CELL PHONE, STEERING WHEEL

Our computer keyboard, phone and steering wheel are some of the most used items we often forget to clean. I use a clear Key Board Protector on my laptop, that’s very easy to clean. Much better than having to clean the surface of the keyboard.

If you like to talk on the phone and press it against your face you should clean it frequently.

I also like to wipe my steering wheel before I take my car out in the morning. Again, your hands and mine may be super clean, but how about the valet guys? I bet they don’t get to wash their hands after parking every car.

Don’t forget to sanitize your door knobs in your home and office, change your pillow cases once a week, and keep you pets away from your pillows.

I promise, It’s not that hard to keep up with the things I mentioned above. Apart from staying pimple free some of the points I made will help you to stay healthy and feel great all around!

It really hit me tonight working on this blog post, that my playmate friends happen to be some of the most stunning and desirable women in the world. Playmates really represent a rare combination of being breathtaking beautiful and having an amazing personality. Trust me, it takes some guts and confidence for any woman to talk about their imperfections. Standing applause to all my past and future ‘Ask a Bunny’ guests for being so humble and open to share their beauty revelations. Love you all!

This week I am very excited to feature Tiffany Toth, Miss September 2011. Not only is Tiffany a very busy working model, but she also has a lot of experience working behind the camera as a make up artist. If anyone, Tiffany really knows what’s up when it comes to always looking gorgeous! I could not think of a more perfect person to ask for 3 essential beauty tips.

TIFFANY’S BEAUTY TIP #1 – DO NOT EAT DAIRY

“I have always had issues with my skin. Every time I did a photo shoot I would cringe at what the makeup artist was putting on my face, because I knew my skin would hate me the next day. I tried every skin product you could think of, but it wasn’t until I gave up dairy that I noticed a huge change. It’s been about two years since I gave up dairy and the change is incredible. I can almost put anything on my skin now and not break out.”

TIFFANY’S BEAUTY TIP #2 – CASTOR OIL

“I use castor oil every night around my eyes and eyelashes. I’ve used a lot of products in the past that promise to make lashes grow, but they would always burn my eyes because of all the chemicals. I love castor oil because it’s all natural, feels great on the eyes, conditions the eyelashes, and makes them grow longer.”

Castor Oli retails for an average price of $4. What a steal!

TIFFANY’S BEAUTY TIP #3 – ALOE VERA

“No, not the green stuff in a bottle from the drug store. I highly suggest growing your own aloe vera plant. They are super easy to grow, and there are so many benefits of having one. I love to use it as a moisturizer, but it’s also great on the wounds, bites, and burns. It’s healing benefits are endless.”

Aloe Vera plant can be grown on the ground or containers all year round.

Many thanks to Tiffany for sharing her beauty secrets! And if you don’t already, be sure to follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Say hello to Alison Waite, our Bunny guest of the week. Since becoming Miss May 2006 Aly’s claim to fame is a career as a television host. You have seen her on NBC’s Extra! as a field correspondent, a host of E! News Now on E! and MTV’s show “Frenemies”.

I’m always amazed of how Aly manages to look so amazing on TV. Remember, there is no photoshopping in live television. While you can get away with so much as a model, you really have to be picture perfect as a television host. Camera lenses don’t lie and what you see is what you get!

We asked Aly to share some of her beauty secrets, that help her to always be camera ready:

ALY’S BEAUTY TIP #1 – JOJOBA OIL

“Jojoba oil from Trader Joe’s is my go-to eye make-up remover. Whether I’m wanting to remove a little mascara or a lot of heavy eye-make up and lash glue from a shoot this oil always delivers. And thankfully without any irritation. I used to buy eye make-up remover pads but it always left my eyes feeling dry and caused unsightly redness. Now I just keep the jojoba oil in the shower & put a very small amount on my fingertips. I then gently massage the oil onto my closed eyelids (you don’t want to actually get it in your eyes of course). And voila, after a few circular motions mixed with water from the shower head the eye make-up and glue disappears. I keep a wash cloth handy to wipe off the remnants if I was wearing a ton of make-up from a shoot or a face wipe will work as well (I am just careful to not use the wipe near my eyes since it causes irritation in my case). Afterwards I follow with my normal apricot scrub face wash routine just to make sure all the access oil & make-up residue is gone. I have never been so pleased with a product & love that it is all-natural & inexpensive!”

ALY’S BEAUTY TIP #2 – Million Dollar Tan Mermaid Mousse Extreme

“I used to tan for hours everyday and frequented tanning beds in my younger days. Now I regret all that sun exposure and wear tons of SPF. Of course I loved the appearance of my super bronzed bod, but I’d rather not sacrifice my skin health nor do I want to appear older & wrinkly. While spray tans at the tanning salon were a good alternative, I never felt I achieved that golden glow that a real tan would provide. I always looked orange or streaky, it smelled bad & was always rubbing off. Luckily my dear friend in college (Go SDSU) was so sick of the bad sunless tanning products that were on the market, that she developed her own line. I’m not just saying this because she is my friend. Her Million Dollar Tan products are amazing! And they are organic, packed with moisturizers so they won’t dry out your skin. They don’t smell and best of all, the tan looks totally natural! I’m hooked! Especially before a shoot I’m always applying Million Dollar Tan the night before. I would recommend Mermaid Mousse Extreme to anyone that is wary of at-home applications. If I can do this, trust me, you can too! I love the deep dark faux tan I get that lasts for about a week or so. http://www.milliondollartan.com/Mousses”

3. ALY’S BEAUTY TIP #3 – SLEEP

“I’m a big fan of it! And everyone knows how vital it is to get your sleep if you want to look and perform your best. For me, I love 8 hours (or more if I can get it) of uninterrupted sleep. It’s not always easy to fall asleep so I try to create the most zen atmosphere possible to ward off restless nights. I spray a lavender oil mist from Whole Foods in my sheets before bed. I also play music on my iPod that is relaxing, I especially like spa sounds on Spotify. I try not to watch TV or be on my phone, computer/Twitter/Instagram 30 min before I’m going to bed, but it’s easier said than done sometimes. I can tell such a huge difference in my appearance after I’ve had a full restful night’s sleep. And if not, that’s what cucumbers and a good eye cream (La Mer eye balm) are for.”

I wanted to thank Alison for taking time for our blog and I can’t wait to try Million Dollar Mermaid Mouss myself! Check out Aly’s hosting reel below to see how flawless she looks on camera, and be sure to follow her on Twitter and Instagram .